The reproductive biology of an open-water spawning Lake Malawi cichlid,Copadichromis chrysonotus

Copadichromis chrysonotus is a zooplanktivorous cichlid member of the diverse fish community inhabiting Lake Malawi’s rocky, littoral habitat. Like most Lake Malawi cichlids, this species’ reproductive strategy is based on maternal mouthbrooding, but it is the only littoral species known to spawn in the open water without a substrate-based territory. This studyinvestigated length at maturity, sexual dimorphism, spawning behaviour, breeding seasonality, fecundity, fertility, egg size, and brooding habits of C. chrysonotus in southern Lake Malawi. Males in breeding colouration aggregated in sheltered areas at least several metres deep, and each male defended a mobile breeding territory near the surface while attempting toattract females. Breeding was mostly continuous from August to May, with peaks in August–September and January–March. A major lull in breeding activity occurred in May and June. Mean fecundity and fertility increased significantly with female total length, while mean egg length, mean egg mass and gonadosomatic index did not increase significantly with female totallength. Females brooded their young up to 15–16 mm total length before abandoning them. Open-water spawning by C. chrysonotus may be an adaptation to reduce both egg predation during spawning and competition for substrate-based breeding territories.     

Calculation model for the turnover number of steel ladle based on casting schedule

In order to realize optimization of production organization and put forward a reasonable calculation model for the turnover number of steel ladle, the turnover process and time of steel ladle are analyzed with steel ladle of Q steelmaking plant. Gantt charts of steel ladle turnover for single casting schedule and double casting schedule are drawn. Calculation model for turnover number of steel ladle is put forward by analyzing the relationship between casting schedule and the turnover time of steel ladle, and the accuracy of the model is verified by simulation method. Researches show that the turnover number of steel ladle can be reduced 1-2 by adjusting cast starting time, and have significance for the optimization of steel ladle production organization.     

Is there a benefit from an early booster vaccination in the control of equine influenza?

Conventional equine influenza vaccination schedules consist of a primary course of two vaccinations given 4-6 weeks apart followed by a third vaccination (booster) given approximately 5 months later. In between the primary course and the third vaccination, horses are generally considered not to be adequately protected against influenza. This study aimed to investigate whether Thoroughbred foals would benefit from a vaccination schedule in which the third vaccination was given earlier than in conventional vaccination schedules. The vaccines used were an inactivated whole virus equine influenza vaccine and an inactivated whole virus combination vaccine containing equine influenza and equine herpesvirus antigens. Four groups of foals were vaccinated with the two vaccines according to a conventional and an accelerated vaccination schedule in which the third vaccination was given 14 weeks after the first administration. In both groups, the fourth vaccination was given at the normally recommended interval of 26 weeks after the third vaccination for the combination vaccine and 52 weeks after the third vaccination with the influenza only vaccine. The horses were 4-11 months of age and seronegative for influenza. Immunological responses after vaccination were monitored for several months using the single radial haemolysis test. The results indicated that 28 weeks after the first vaccination, antibody levels in horses vaccinated according to the accelerated schedule were not significantly higher than in horses vaccinated according to the conventional schedule. In addition, the total level of antibody production (area under the curve) was not significantly different at that point although antibody titres were slightly higher (but not significantly so) between 16-30 weeks in the accelerated schedule. Between the third and fourth doses, horses vaccinated according to the accelerated schedule had antibodies against influenza below the level required for clinical protection for 39 and 18 weeks for the influenza only and the combination vaccine, respectively, whereas those vaccinated according to the conventional schedule had antibody titres below the level for clinical protection for 9-15 weeks in the corresponding period for both vaccines. Horses vaccinated according to the accelerated schedule with the combination vaccine had lower antibody titres after the fourth vaccination than those vaccinated according to the conventional schedule after the third vaccination, although antibody titres prior to vaccination were similar. For the influenza only vaccine, titres after the accelerated fourth administration were not different to those after the conventional third vaccination. There was no benefit from early booster vaccinations with the vaccines used in this study, so for these vaccines the conventional schedule provided better protection than the selected accelerated alternative. This may contrast with some other vaccine formulations, although a direct comparison using similar protocols has not been made.     

幼虫期营养对甜菜夜蛾生殖力及卵巢发育的影响

幼虫期营养是影响昆虫生长发育及种群动态的重要因素,笔者以周期性和突发性饥饿处理4、5龄甜菜夜蛾幼虫,结果表明,饥饿处理后蛹重下降,蛹期延长,羽化率和成虫交配率降低。以5龄幼虫的突发性饥饿影响最为显著,5龄幼虫饥饿处理36h时,产卵量仅为对照的56.8%。幼虫营养缺乏,可使产卵前期延长,卵期和雌蛾寿命明显缩短。5龄幼虫饥饿处理24h、36h,雌蛾卵巢管长度比对照分别缩短29.1%和36.1%,卵巢鲜重下降28.4%和30.9%。周期性饥饿处理只有5龄处理12h的影响较明显。突发性饥饿处理可引起卵巢内卵黄蛋白含量明显下降。在不同的营养条件下,雌蛾的产卵量与卵巢中的卵黄蛋白含量、产卵量与蛹重之间均呈明显的正相关。     

顺序输送管道调度计划编制的影响因素分析

在编制成品油顺序输送管道调度计划时,需要着重考虑管道的能耗、压力波动和混油等因素,以指导管道的安全和经济运行。对这些因素进行了分析,以兰成渝成品油管道为例,探讨了调度计划的变化对下游混油量的影响。     

Do strain differences in microalgae alter their relative quality as a food for the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis?

Brachionus plicatilis is used in aquaculture to feed larval fish and crustaceans. It is well established that different prey species alter rotifer productivity. Isochrysis galbana is one microalgal prey that is commonly fed to rotifers, and there are several strains of this flagellate available to aquaculturists. As microalgae strains may differ in their composition and growth attributes, we rigorously examined if growth and biochemical differences in I. galbana strains elicit differences in the growth and biochemical attributes of B. plicatilis. Four I. galbana strains and one strain of the flagellate Nanochloropsis were grown under standard conditions. Growth rate, cell volume, production, and composition (dry weight, carbohydrate, protein, lipid) were measured. Significant differences occurred between strains in all of these attributes (at times 2 to 3 fold), but no clear pattern emerged that one strain was superior. Of note was that for some measurements, strain differences were significantly greater than differences between species. The strains were then fed to rotifers, and a number of parameters were measured: growth rate, reproductive rate, fecundity attributes, a number of developmental rates, and composition (dry weight, carbohydrate, protein, lipid). There were significant effects of prey strain on some of these attributes, but none was dramatic (rarely more than 10% and occasionally up to 30%), suggesting that aquaculturists need not be too concerned regarding which I. galbana strain they use. However, we do indicate subtle differences, induced by different prey strains and suggest that for maximum productivity these differences should be considered.     

On plasma volume measurement and the effect of experimental stress in the themale tilapia,Oreochromis mossambicus,maintained in fresh water

Plasma volumes in male tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) of different size were estimated following intracardial injection of radioiodinated human serum albumin (¹²⁵I-HSA), coupled with short-term, early sampling transient response analysis of 1251-HSA disappearance from the plasma pool. This approach circumvents vascular marker leakage problems associated with constant steady state indicator dilution methods, minimizes some sampling and mixing problems, and simplifies analysis of the data. Changes in hematological parameters due to experimental stress were also studied, because the fish were not chronically cannulated. Results were used in a novel way to correct estimates of plasma volume upward by 15%, thereby providing a potentially useful alternative approach to vascular volume measurement in species where stress-eliminating or reducing techniques, e.g., cannulation, are impractical or infeasible. Hematrocrits increased 38% at the onset, from 24.9% to 34.4%, and remained essentially constant during the 60 minute kinetic study, and plasma osmolalities increased 7%. Corrected plasma volumes V_p (ml) were a linear function of body weight (BW). The group mean V_p was 2.93% of BW and corresponding blood volumes were 3.9% of BW.     

Stripping Fecundity of Common Bream (Abramis brama L.) from the Rivers Trent and Sow (Nottinghamshire, UK)

Results obtained with common bream (Abramis brama) originating from the rivers Trent and Sow (Great Britain) are presented with particular attention to the egg size and absolute and relative fecundity recorded during stripping of hormonally (pituitary extract) treated females. The average number of eggs obtained by stripping 1 kg of female biomass (RSF) from the river Sow and Trent were 93,642 ± 20,896 and 151,179 ± 25,123, respectively. These values were similar to the respective parameters in bream populations from north-western USSR lakes.     

温度及烟草CMV病株对烟蚜生长发育的影响

研究了19℃、22℃、25℃、28℃和31℃恒温条件下，CMV烟草病株和健康烟草与烟蚜Myzus persicae (Sulzer)生长发育和繁殖的关系。研究表明，随着温度的升高，在健康烟株（对照）和病株（处理）叶碟饲养条件下，烟蚜的成虫寿命和世代历期都显著缩短，繁殖力减弱。19℃时烟蚜的成虫寿命和世代历期最长，31℃时烟蚜最短。CMV烟草病株对烟蚜存活率和繁殖力有显著影响，与对照相比，烟草病株造成烟蚜成活率降低。烟蚜取食CMV烟草病株时，19℃烟蚜的繁殖力最强为36.9头，31℃最弱为2.17头。净增殖率R0在22℃时最大，在31℃时最小。周限增长率λ和内禀增长率rm在28℃和31℃时最大，在22℃时最小。世代平均周期T和种群加倍时间t在22℃时最大，在31℃时最小。研究结果说明，烟蚜的生长发育和繁殖与温度和感染CMV的烟草有关。